Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
28
Mondo Trasho
B2
29
Trago Mills
C3
B3
Sights & Activities
National Maritime Museum
(
www.nmmc.co.uk
;
Discovery Quay; adult/child £11/7.60; 10am-5pm)
Sister to the Greenwich original,
this is Falmouth's flagship attraction. It explores Britain's illustrious maritime history
through a vast collection of yachts, gigs, schooners, trimarans and other groundbreaking
sailing craft - many suspended from slender steel wires in the
Flotilla Gallery
, the heart of
the complex.
Other highlights include the
Nav Station
, a hands-on exhibit exploring nautical naviga-
tion; the
Tidal Zone
, where underwater windows peer into the murky depths; and the
Lookout
Tower
, offering a 360-degree panorama of Falmouth Bay. The museum also hosts various
temporary exhibitions, so check the website for the latest news.
Outside the museum is the revamped Discovery Quay, home to an attractive collection
of bars and bistros - including one of celebrity chef Rick Stein's fish and chips bars.
MUSEUM
Pendennis Castle
(EH; 01326-316594; adult/child £6.70/4; 10am-6pm Jul & Aug, 10am-5pm Apr-Jun & Sep, 10am-4pm Oct-
Mar)
Out on the promontory of
Pendennis Point
, west of the town centre, Pendennis Castle
was constructed from 1540 to 1545 by Henry VIII as one of a chain of fortresses designed
to defend the British mainland from Spanish and French invasion. Falmouth's deep har-
bour made it a key strategic asset, and Pendennis was built with its sister fortress of St
Mawes in order to defend the entrance to the Carrick Roads.
The heart of the castle is its circular keep and Tudor gun-deck, where the battlements
still bristle with vintage cannons. During the Civil War, the castle was engaged in a six-
month siege under the command of Captain John Arundel of Trerice, during which the
garrison resorted to eating the castle's dogs, rats and horses to survive; it was the last Roy-
alist fortress in the southwest to fall. Elsewhere, you can visit the WWI-era guardhouse
CASTLE
